As Rangers reportedly close in on a new Director of Football, it’s been some eight months since the last one left.
Since Ross Wilson headed back down south to the Premier League, this time with Nottingham Forest, quite a few things have happened at Ibrox.
But the decision to give Michael Beale such a sizeable transfer budget only for the Rangers board to sack the manager a few months into the new season has raised Ibrox eyebrows.
As Rangers announced their accounts for the last financial year, Rangers chairman John Bennett claims the club spent £21m on new players this summer.
The return to date hasn’t quite matched the investment and – even if we’re seeing shoots of recovery – it’s a transfer window which has been the subject of thorough interrogation.
Whilst we won’t see the true impact of this summer until next year, the lack of Director of Football in the context of the recruitment has the Rangers board facing up to a hard gamble.
If the signings come off then there will be quite a few eating their words with regards Michael Beale who – as talented a coach he might be – really struggled with the weight of expectation in Glasgow.
Philippe Clement certainly looks like a worthy alternative and time will tell if the manager manages to get a tune out of this squad but whatever happens in January, it looks like he will have assistance.
Rangers chairman John Bennett pointed to an imminent Director of Football appointment in his statement on the club’s latest round of accounts.
Player trading – the fourth pillar of the club’s business model alongside season tickets, commercial revenue and European football – is also the buzzword of the moment.
It might pain Rangers fans to say it, but the Ibrox club need to start getting it right where Celtic have not got it wrong in this regard and start consistently banking big on player sales.
Player trading tops Rangers agenda
The transfers of Nathan Patterson, Joe Aribo and Calvin Bassey – in deals which raked in north of £38m – were a step in the right direction.
But the state of the club’s squad, plus the end-of-contract exits of Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos in the face of a low silverware return, has the club’s hierarchy under the microscope.
Such is the clear importance of player trading, Rangers appear to have bided their time with regards this appointment and it suggests the recruitment plan of the summer was pre-agreed and exempt from the process.
Rangers know that whilst the manager – every club’s figurehead and the driver of on-field results – is their most important asset, in the financial battle with Celtic a Director of Football will be a close second.
James Bisgrove has been fielding questions on the appointment for weeks with Premier League options routinely mentioned in the press.
With the appointment seemingly imminent, Rangers have stood their ground in the face of fan and media pressure in the hope of getting the right man for the job.
As the situation threatens to rumble into a ninth month, let’s hope that patience in the search strikes the club much-needed gold
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